An added job duty has been dumped onto the workload of our District Representatives. The Vehicle Abatement Unit was disbanded and their workload has been assigned to District Reps throughout the City. This is a recent development so the Regions are in the process of getting necessary training, figuring out how to allot the duties among their DRs, and working on efficiently handling this new task. It is true that not every neighborhood has a large problem with vehicle abatement, but many do, and in those areas, it is a significant issue which must be handled. Vehicle Abatement is time consuming, complex, and is a long process to monitor to completion. In two of the Regions, the DRs are spending about 25% of their time doing this one task!

In the APD budget request for this fiscal year, the basis of asking for additional officer positions was that they were needed for increased community policing; the city council approved approximately half of their request. District Reps are the only officer positions which are fully dedicated and responsible for community policing by developing positive relationships with citizens and building community engagement. Why pull them off their vital community policing activities within our neighborhoods and give them a different – property related -- task? This can be described as shooting yourself in the foot.

The reason for disbanding the Vehicle Abatement Unit was that the Recruiting Unit was increased by five sworn officers – the positions were taken from other areas and transferred there – two from Vehicle Abatement. New recruits to fill our 100+ vacancies are badly needed and additional staff can help bring in qualified applicants, so there is no doubt about the need. However, there must be some other way to assist Recruiting instead of putting more duties on our DRs – the only officers whose entire job is community engagement – thus taking them away from the work they do for us in our neighborhoods. While vehicle abatement is necessary, the result can be taking away a person’s property – that’s hardly a good way for DRs to build good relationships with citizens.

If this is an issue in your neighborhood, to make your voice heard, contact Chief Acevedo (Art.Acevedo@austintexas.gov) and explain that we do not want our DRs to be responsible for this additional job that prevents them from having their full time available to handle the actual community engagement and relationship building that is so needed in Austin. Urge that APD find other positions to transfer to Recruiting, OR assign those duties to some positions other than our DRs, OR increase the Recruiting staff by three instead of five and reinstate the Vehicle Abatement Unit, OR reinstate the VA Unit for a specified time (six months?) to work in conjunction with the DRs in clearing the backlog and reducing the remaining problem vehicles and then reconsider where to assign the VA duties, OR move the VA duties to the Code Compliance Department, OR some other solution – just don’t give this additional work to our DRs.

Vision Zero Report Reviewed by Public Safety Commission

At their February 1 meeting the PSC discussed the City’s draft report regarding the high number of traffic deaths in Austin and plans to eliminate the deaths. The work on this initiative had been handled by the Planning and Zoning Department until a recent change was made to move it to the Transportation Department. Commissioner Levy, who serves on the Vision Zero Task Force, explained that the Task Force did not receive the draft, which contained 100 actions to take, for their review before it was posted on the city’s website, and he offered five recommendations to be included in the report, for consideration by the Commission. After making two changes to the wording, the Commission approved them as a draft resolution which they will vote on at their next meeting. It was pointed out by city staff that the current document is to be used for the upcoming process of taking public comment, prioritizing action items, estimating costs, and developing recommendations, prior to preparing the final report for the council in May.

Everyone is urged to track this process, participate in public comment meetings, consider the costs and recommendations, and contact your city council member to give them your input on this major initiative. The next PSC meeting is on March 7 – check the city website for time and location.

Commander’s Forums

Please take the time to attend the APD Forum in your Region – the information on dates, times, and locations is on the APD website. These Forums are your best chance to talk face to face with the District Reps who work in your neighborhood.

Fees for Special Events

Waiving of fees, collection of fees, setting fees, the impact of large scale events on Austin and it’s neighborhoods, the costs to taxpayers in Austin of paying necessary costs for events, what can/should be done about these issues -- these and more items were discussed at the community meeting held by the City on February 10. Participants gave their input on ideas received during a survey and developed additional ideas and suggestions which will be compiled by the staff into a report to be presented for community input at the next meeting on February 24 at 6:30 pm at the Asian American Resource Center – check the city’s website for specific updated information. Plan to participate in this meeting to give your thoughts.

Citizen Police Academy Fills Up

The current session of the CPA, which began in the second week of February, once again drew almost 100 applicants, making it necessary to hold two classes per week in order to accommodate the people in Austin who want to attend. The motto of Austin’s CPA is ‘Understanding through Education’ and the goal is to provide information to citizens about the many aspects of police work in order for them to know what officers deal with and how they do their jobs. The class is free, the meal is provided, and parking is free. Check the APD website for full information about the program content and application process. The next class will begin in September.

__ __ __ __ __ __PLEASE be careful when you are outdoors jogging or walking – the current wave of assaults is alarming. Take all the safety precautions set out by law enforcement and be aware of your surroundings.

The Austin Police Department Regions are resuming their public meetings in 2016 to provide information on their activities and get feedback from people in their areas. The Forum information is shown below and you can check the web for updates at www.austintexas.gov/department/police; click on Divisions, scroll down to APD District Representatives (maps available also).

Please note that Region 4 conducts Neighborhood Watch training on the 1st Tuesday of each month beginning in February; contact the District Rep in your sector for Neighborhood Watch training in your area. CLASP also can provide assistance in setting up Neighborhood Watch programs.

Open Carry Comes to Texas

People licensed to carry can now legally have holstered handguns unconcealed in locations where guns are permitted. Private businesses can ban guns on their premises. Training for new license to carry permits will include using restraint holsters and methods to secure carrying of handguns. The current law does not require restraint holsters. It should be noted that law enforcement agencies were not in favor of this law.

Have ideas on how to improve the look of I-35 from Rundberg Lane to Woodland Avenue?

Texas Department of Transportation would like to hear your ideas.Take this very short survey to share your thoughts.The survey will be available through Jan. 15, 2016. We look forward to hearing from you!

This Saturday in Austin there will be a peaceful march to show that Police Lives Matter – hope you can be there. We will gather in front of APD Main Headquarters at 715 East 8th Street and walk west on 8th to Congress, then north on Congress to the Capitol steps. It is about a 15 minute walk (.7 mile). The march beings at 10:00 am, but get there early to find a parking space under the IH 35 bridge at 8th.

Wear blue and come out to show your support for our law enforcement officers and their families.

The “Increasing Neighborhood Safety” Forum on August 8 at the Windsor Park Branch Library drew many people from neighborhoods all around Austin for informational presentations and discussions among participants on partnering with law enforcement, police funding requirements, neighborhood watch, and community policing.

The comprehensive presentation on ‘APD 2016 Funding and Police Force Strength’ was made by APD Chief Art Acevedo who explained the $393.9 million budget needs with increases to include 82 new sworn officer positions with their vehicles and equipment, and specific unmet needs of staff for property crimes and PAL, open records specialists, 911 call takers, telecommunications, and communications training. He discussed the new police force strength model using ‘community engagement time’ to determine the number of officers needed to provide services for our large and growing population in Central Texas and that community policing methods will be utilized in the new staffing. He covered other topics and answered questions on a large number of public safety and police issues. We appreciate the Chief making time in his schedule to come to the meeting and talk with concerned neighbors about crime prevention, police services, and working together on safety for our city.

Cary Roberts of the Greater Austin Crime Commission thanked CLASP and neighborhood watch groups for their efforts in crime prevention and in educating the public about public safety issues and partnerships with law enforcement.

‘Reducing Crime and Building Community Relationships’ presented by Officer Joshua Visi covered the many duties of District Reps and services they provide, Neighborhood Watch Training in Region 4, benefits of community engagement as carried out by DRs, and establishing ties within neighborhoods.

‘Track Your Neighborhood’s Unique Crime Patterns’ by Jack Darby was an in depth look at how to use krimelabb in discovering what is happening around your area and learning more about types, frequency, time, and location of crimes.

Attendees were encouraged to contact their city council representatives regarding funding support for police services and to remain active and engaged in safety awareness and crime prevention in their neighborhoods. We also urge all residents of Austin to contact their representative about adequate funding for police, fire, and EMS services in Austin.

CLASP is dedicated to sustaining a network of neighborhood watch coordinators, providing information and opportunities for dialogue, and fostering relationships with law enforcement to develop and implement citizen led community policing engagement initiatives in Austin. We welcome your comments and suggestions. Our website iswww.claspatx.com.

The Greater Austin Crime Commission, in partnership with the University of Texas, this spring produced a comprehensive review and analysis of police force strength issues which is invaluable in considering public safety funding. The points brought up in the overview of the Austin Police Department staffing are:

- Austin is one of the nation’s safest cities, but rapid growth strains public safety resources;- New metro resident estimates range from 110-158 net arrivals daily;- While the violent crime rate is lower than cities of comparable size, property crime is 8 percent higher and theft is 28 percent higher;- Traditional police staffing formulas based on population are outdated;- Police force strength should be based on community engagement time which is the time patrol officers have for community policing when not responding to calls for service;- During the past five years, the APD’s total community engagement (or ‘uncommitted’) time for patrol officers citywide declined from 33 to 19 percent;- Studies of best practices show community engagement time goals ranging from 25-50 percent;- Hiring 82 additional officers per year between Fiscal year 2016-2020 will make it possible for the APD to reach a goal of 30 percent community engagement time over five years.

The budget forecast for FY 2016 includes 82 officer positions for $10.4 million, but does not include other requested commissioned positions including two for the Property Crimes Task Force, one for the Police Activities League, and 18 for investigative and support units (auto theft, burglary, computer forensics, DWI, and robbery).

An additional 67 civilian personnel are not included in the FY 2016 forecast generally including 911 call takers, communications and system support staff, evidence control specialists, latent print examiners, crime scene specialists, records analyst, property crime technicians, victim/witness counselors, open records specialists, and various administrative support personnel. The staffing and workload analysis suggests 410 additional patrol officers are needed over the next five years to reach police department goal of 30 percent community engagement time.

We urge you contact your District’s City Council member and Mayor Adler to express your support for funding of commissioned and civilian personnel of the Austin Police Department for FY 2016 and encourage your city council representative and the Mayor to vote in favor of the APD budget request.

This is the budget schedule: council work sessions through August 13; Department presentations to the council are August 12 and 13; first public hearing on the budget is August 20; budget adoption set for Sept. 8-10. The council is not in session during July.

Last month the City Manager’s Office provided information on potential cuts to City services in the budget preparations. The $23 million in cuts to the FY 2016 budget included various public safety services and other departments.

However, it appears that the initial reductions to public safety may not be included in the budget presentations to be made in August. It is advisable to monitor the final CM budget to verify that public safety services will not be harmed. The following is the initial information:

CLASP is involved in a variety of issues including neighborhood watch training, police budget needs and staffing model, and developing an education forum planned for later this year.

Neighborhood Watch: New neighborhood watch groups for single family homes and for apartment complexes are being developed and CLASP representatives will be providing instruction and training. In addition, CLASP representatives have recently made joint watch training presentations with APD.

There is no charge for this training and any neighborhoods that would like information on setting up their groups are encouraged to contact CLASP for details.

Budget: This is City of Austin budget season and public safety budget forecast presentations been made to the Council and the Public Safety Commission. City Manager required that all departments submit forecasts with 5% reductions for 2016.

Word is that the Austin Police Department could face a reduction in the District Rep Program and Highway Enforcement Unit. Proposed budgets are due June 5. The City Council is out during most of the month of July, with the first budget work session on July 30. There will be two work sessions and two public hearings during August, and in September another work session and, in the second week of September, adoption of the budget and tax rate.

Watch your email for information and updates on how you can participate as this process moves along!

Police Force Strength: The Greater Austin Crime Commission partnered with the University of Texas to produce an extensive analysis of police force strength models. The report made a compelling recommendation for an effective method of determining staffing using patrol officers’ “uncommitted time” (time used for interacting with the public) rather than basing size of the force on population figures as currently used (2 officers per 1,000 people).

The GACC plans to discuss force strength and APD funding in its contacts with the council members during the budget cycle.

Forum: Planning is in process for a CLASP Education Forum to be held later this year in North Austin with potential topics to include details on the APD budget request, an explanation of police force strength using community engagement time, and the District Representative Program.

Representatives of CLASP participated in two Neighborhood Watch Training Classes which were provided recently. In January, the Austin Police Department conducted Part 1 of Watch Training for the Avery Ranch Neighborhood and in February, the Travis County Sheriff’s Department conducted their Training Session for residents of The Reserve at Westcreek near Pflugerville. In March, CLASP will be assisting APD with Watch Training for River Oaks Neighborhood.

Anyone who would like to have CLASP provide free Neighborhood Watch Training can get in touch with us atwww.claspatx.com.

Yes, that’s right – there were almost 100 applications for the session of the APD Citizen Police Academy which began this month! And over 80 people were accepted into this session. Just a short three years ago, one CPA class had 19 people in it! The Austin Police Department committed to holding two classes per week in order to accommodate all of the people who wanted to come and learn about APD. This will require double work by the officers who instruct the classes and by Officer Scanlon in preparing, coordinating, and managing this large group for 14 weeks. We appreciate their dedication and service to the CPA Program. The 82nd class started on February 10 and the 83rd class started on February 12. Chief Acevedo spoke to attendees at both of the classes, with Chaplain Services as the topic of the presentation for the evening.

Officer Surei Scanlon, the CPA Coordinator, has continued to enhance the program, materials, and environment of the classes. Participants now have free parking during their class time and classes have meals provided. Generous donations come from a variety of restaurants and sponsors and are much appreciated by the participants. For the 2015 class, APD provided the binders and is providing meals for about half of the class sessions. This support for the CPA Program is vital to producing a high quality program for the people of Austin who attend the classes.

Anyone interested in attending the CPA class can get information atwww.austintexas.gov or at www.austincpaaa.org. Graduates of the Citizen Police Academy who are members of the Austin CPA Alumni Association are also eligible to participate in a number of volunteer opportunities within APD which are only available to CPA graduates.

On Monday, March 2, 2015, at 6:30pm, the Austin Police Department's Region III South Central / Central East District Representatives invite you to attend our monthly Commander's Forum to sharae significant events, crime stats and updates.

The forum will be held at the Austin Police Department East Substation and Forensics Center, 812 Springdale Rd., Austin TX 78702. A question and answer sessions with the District Representatives and Command Staff will follow. For additional information, please contact Region III District Representatives at 512.974.5902 or 512.974.816. Thank you for your support.

The Northeast Commander's Forum will be held Tuesday, February 3, 2015, at 6:30 p.m. at the Settlement Home, located at 1607 Colony Creek. The forum will give information about what the police are doing in Northeast Austin to include but not limited to, police stats, upcoming programs, and initiatives. The special guest speaker will be Sgt. Sam Shurley of the Austin Police Department Metro Tactical Unit. We encourage you to come and bring a friend!

The forum will be held at the Austin Police Department Central East Substation and Forensics Center, 812 Springdale Rd., Austin, TX 78702. A question and answer session with the District Representatives and Command Staff will follow. For additional information, please contact Region III District Representatives at512-974-8106 or 512-974-5902. Thank you for your support.

The Greater Austin Crime Commission, in partnership with the University of Texas, this spring produced a comprehensive review and analysis of police force strength issues which is invaluable in considering public safety funding. The points brought up in the overview of the Austin Police Department staffing are:

- Austin is one of the nation’s safest cities, but rapid growth strains public safety resources;- New metro resident estimates range from 110-158 net arrivals daily;- While the violent crime rate is lower than cities of comparable size, property crime is 8 percent higher and theft is 28 percent higher;- Traditional police staffing formulas based on population are outdated;- Police force strength should be based on community engagement time which is the time patrol officers have for community policing when not responding to calls for service;- During the past five years, the APD’s total community engagement (or ‘uncommitted’) time for patrol officers citywide declined from 33 to 19 percent;- Studies of best practices show community engagement time goals ranging from 25-50 percent;- Hiring 82 additional officers per year between Fiscal year 2016-2020 will make it possible for the APD to reach a goal of 30 percent community engagement time over five years.

The budget forecast for FY 2016 includes 82 officer positions for $10.4 million, but does not include other requested commissioned positions including two for the Property Crimes Task Force, one for the Police Activities League, and 18 for investigative and support units (auto theft, burglary, computer forensics, DWI, and robbery).

An additional 67 civilian personnel are not included in the FY 2016 forecast generally including 911 call takers, communications and system support staff, evidence control specialists, latent print examiners, crime scene specialists, records analyst, property crime technicians, victim/witness counselors, open records specialists, and various administrative support personnel. The staffing and workload analysis suggests 410 additional patrol officers are needed over the next five years to reach police department goal of 30 percent community engagement time.

We urge you contact your District’s City Council member and Mayor Adler to express your support for funding of commissioned and civilian personnel of the Austin Police Department for FY 2016 and encourage your city council representative and the Mayor to vote in favor of the APD budget request.

This is the budget schedule: council work sessions through August 13; Department presentations to the council are August 12 and 13; first public hearing on the budget is August 20; budget adoption set for Sept. 8-10. The council is not in session during July.

Last month the City Manager’s Office provided information on potential cuts to City services in the budget preparations. The $23 million in cuts to the FY 2016 budget included various public safety services and other departments.

However, it appears that the initial reductions to public safety may not be included in the budget presentations to be made in August. It is advisable to monitor the final CM budget to verify that public safety services will not be harmed. The following is the initial information: